TWISTERS have again been spotted looming ominously over the North Yorkshire skyline.

This impressive example spiralled down from storm clouds over York during City's 1-0 last-minute victory over Barnet yesterday.

It was captured on film by Evening Press chief photographer Garry Atkinson in the sky to the south-east of the city, after it was pointed out to him by fans at Bootham Crescent.

At Burniston, near Scarborough, the marquee at the annual show was pulled out of the ground by what is believed to have been a mini-tornado. Organiser Margaret Pitts was trapped but escaped uninjured when the freak storm struck just after 6pm on Sunday.

The catalogue of bizarre Bank Holiday weather continued with a 2,000ft twister spotted at Llandudno, in North Wales, yesterday.

Dozens of calls flooded into our newsroom from awe-struck readers when York's tornado, more suited to the mid-Western states of the US than to the Vale of York, appeared briefly over the city at about 3.45pm yesterday.

The distinctive funnel shape was silhouetted against thunderclouds for more than a minute before it disappeared.

Graham Winter, of Woodthorpe, was enjoying a barbecue in his back garden with family and friends when he saw the massive funnel descending from the clouds.

"I did a double-take because I just couldn't believe my eyes," he said.

"It was just like something out of a movie and very sinister - but very impressive."

Mrs Pitts, who was putting the finishing floral touches to the Burniston Show President's Tent when it was flattened, said: "It started raining, then within two minutes this huge wind pulled the tent stakes out of the ground and threw it over.

"It seemed just like a tornado."

York University physics lecturer Dr Mike Cohler said the phenomenon was caused by rapidly rotating rising air which formed in unstable shower clouds, and could be linked to global weather patterns.

"We are in a year of El Nina - the opposite of El Nino - which is causing unusual weather conditions in various parts of the world," he said.

"It's possible these changes have fed across to us as well."

PA weatherman Michael Dukes said they had received several reports of similar sightings yesterday.

But he said that unless the spirals touched the ground, they were technically funnel clouds, not tornadoes.

PICTURE: STORMING: The incredible scene over Bootham Crescent as the tornado sweeps over the city

Picture: Garry Atkinson